I know Chris Haley of Let’s Be Friends Again fame, only thru a web series, The Variants, made by people I follow on twitter. They film it out of a comic book shop. I’m a big fan and contributed to their Kickstarter.

Chris’s work gets reblogged a lot on my Tumblr dashboard, and on Twitter. Back in January he was in need of money and was soliciting commissions for art work. I said what the hell and decided to commission him. We exchanged emails. I paid him, gave him my address. Then never heard from him.

I understand these things sometimes take time.

Four months later, he was on twitter at a convention soliciting work again. I had yet to hear a word from him.

I emailed him and ask what the heck is going on. No reply. Three days later I send another email, and finally he responds. Claimed he was without email all weekend - which is amazing given he was live tweeting from a comic book convention!

Chris said he had been busy and many things had happened. He gave me a litany of excuses, including deaths in the family, but the short of it is he just forgot. He also said the commission he was advertising for sale at the Con were not the same as what he was supposed to do for me. 

Then he said he would have it out to me that week!

Couldn’t get it done in four months, but he could get in done in one week! Amazing.

I told him it was too late I no longer wanted the piece and asked him never to email me again, that I was writing the expense off as a bad experience. 

It’s been over a month since our last contact and I’ve never heard from him again.

It still galls me. More so because people are reblogging and RTing his soliciting for money and sales again. I quit following several people on Tumblr over it, but have not made any of this public - at least not who it is - until now.

I’ve tried taking the high road, and letting this go, but every time I see a post from him asking for people to buy his work, it’s like a knife. 

When the web series’ next season goes live, he’s going to be a regular and it will be worse. I tried getting past it because some people I really like are involved in it, but it’s just not working.

I will probably unfollow more people over it, and this notice as to why -  it is no reflection on them but just can’t stand to have anything to do with this untrustworthy person.

I’m posting this here because Chris begs for money on Twitter and Tumblr and people need to know that he is not always a responsible person. He has done this to me, and it stands to reason, it has or will happen to someone else. BUYER BEWARE.

This has left such a bitter taste in my mouth I will definitely think twice before contributing to a Kickstarter, or buying a commission from an artist, again.

ETA: After posting this and calling him out, I got a refund on my money, at least most of it, but not without him leaving a shirty little note. #charming